Condoms for women to hit stores in India

NEW DELHI: If Indian men can have condoms, why can’t women? Specially designed condoms for women are going to hit the Indian market soon, giving women more protection in their battle against HIV/AIDS.

At a meeting on August 4, the government cleared the procurement of imported female condoms. The condoms will be available in local shops within two months.

Though the government’s new HIV/AIDS policy invited strong protests, its promotion of female condoms has been welcomed.

To be launched under the name of Conidom, these imported condoms will be marketed by Hindustan Latex Limited (HLL) and cost Rs38. Sex workers and rural women, however, will get the condoms for a subsidised price of Rs5.

The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) will first introduce these condoms among sex workers in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka. At the same time HLL will promote their sale.

Unlike the male condom, which is made of latex, the female condom is made of a stronger but thinner material called polyurethane and is bigger in size. It can be inserted into the body as much as eight hours before intercourse.

“The limited options in the market coupled with high price denominations have hampered women’s choices of self-protection,” says SY Quraishi, NACO director general. He feels the female condoms will help as a non-invasive method of contraception and for protection against sexually transmitted infections. Unlike other female contraceptives, the condoms are safe and easy to use.

The trials conducted by the government before introducing female condoms have evoked mixed reactions. While most of the volunteers have approved the product for its good lubrication, which enhances pleasure, some of its users have complained of discomfort.

Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT), which conducted its trial among 750 volunteers, says 80 per cent of sex workers and 79 per of married women responded favourably towards the condoms. It adds that majority found them to be 'more effective, reliable and strong as compared to a male condom'. But there are several health workers, who are skeptical about the condoms. "Due to its large size, they hang out of the body and are visible. Many women are also apprehensive about the injuries that can be caused by the ring that has to be inserted inside the body," says Vidya, a community health worker, who has distributed female condoms as part of government's experimental projects in Delhi.

"The fact that it has to be inserted by the woman in her body has raised apprehensions leading to resistance and unwillingness to use the product," she adds.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) also opposes its use. CBCI spokesperson in Delhi, Father Babu Joseph, says: "We do not endorse female condoms. They may be convenient but it prohibits certain freedom of choice of people." But doctors have a different opinion. "Female condoms are very good for women since they have no side effects and are easy to use," says Dr Urvashi Jha, senior gynaecologist in Delhi's Apollo hospital. "It's matter of getting used to it and once that is done it is going to get popular among women."

"Whenever you introduce a new product like this it is important to educate the masses first on why it is being done, how to use it and where to find it," says Gauri Choudhury of Action India. She feels that any new product like this will take time to catch on.